7 edible Christmas gifts you can make at home

A homemade present is always well received, particularly if it's tailored to the recipient's interests. Make them extra special with eco-friendly packaging and handwritten or personalised printed labels.

For the breakfast lover—Lemon curd

If you have a relative or friend who thinks breakfast is the best meal of the day, this indulgent gift is for them. First created in the 1800s, lemon curd is made with eggs, lemons, sugar, and butter. This zingy and sweet lemony spread is great on toast or yogurt.

You can make it on the hob like the recipe above or in the microwave. Make sure you stop and stir it often as, like custard, it’s easy to curdle. Homemade lemon curd can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks so it’s worth adding an “Eat by” date on the jars when you gift them.

For the keen cook—Flavoured oil

This is a great gift for keen cooks who like experimenting with flavours. Oil can be easily infused with herbs and spices such as rosemary and lemon, chilli and garlic, or fennel and peppercorns. Make sure you buy quality olive oil or rapeseed oil in the first place. Once you’ve infused the olive oil, store it in clean, sterilised glass bottles.

You could buy a few small bottles and make a gift set or give individual ones to diffferent people depending on their flavour preferences. Add the ingredients into the oil to make them visually beautiful (and easy to remember what they taste like). And why not give your friends a few recipe cards to try their new oils to spice up soups, oven-baked meats and fish, cooked grains or winter greens like sprouts.

For the cacao lover—Chocolate truffles

Chocolate truffles are so easy to make and taste delicious. Add different ingredients such as ginger, orange zest or salt to add interest, or stick to plain. You can also roll them in cacao powder, chopped nuts or desiccated coconut. Whatever the combination, they’re guaranteed to impress the cacao lover in your life. To gift them, place each truffle in a separate mini cupcake case and then present them in a box. A flat chocolate box works well but even a beautifully decorated egg box can do the trick. Or you could gift them in a compostable eco-plastic or paper bag.

For a spiced treat—Gingerbread biscuits

Gingerbread dates back to Ancient Greece and was a popular biscuit in Medieval times. Ginger helps with digestion and nausea so it’s a perfect sweet treat over Christmas. Gingerbread biscuits are often made in the shape of people, houses or animals and elaborately decorated with icing which is why they’re fun to make with kids. This recipe has two options for baking them—either in the air fryer, or in the oven. Gift them in biodegradable cellulose bags.

For the canine companion—Dog biscuits

Around 59 per cent of the UK population now owns a dog so it’s likely you know someone who has a canine companion. And one thing dog owners always need are treats to keep their pooches happy. If you want to make these dog-friendly biscuits extra festive, add green or red food colouring and cut them into shapes like bones, candy canes or wreaths! For an extra thoughtful touch, present them in a glass jar with a sticker listing the ingredients and the dog’s name.

For the cheese lover—Chutney

Cheese boards are a popular Christmas tradition in the UK and tangy chutney is a classic accompaniment to cheese as it cuts through its salty creaminess. And the good thing is you can use up all sorts of seasonal fruits such as apples, pears, figs, red onions, or even green tomatoes to make chutney. Collect old jam jars and make sure you sterilise them before adding your chutney by washing them and drying them out in the oven for 15 minutes at 160ºC. Add labels or stickers describing your chutney’s main flavours and the month and year it was made.

For the sweet toothed—Honeycomb

Honeycomb toffee, also known as cinder toffee, was first produced in North-East England in the early 1900s.

Called “honeycomb” because of the air bubbles in the toffee, it was commercialised in 1929 as the chocolate-coated Crunchie bar.

It’s fun and easy to make your own although watch out when you add the bicarbonate of soda to the caramel as it will bubble up and expand. If you want to make it extra decadent, dip broken shards in milk chocolate when cool. Then present them in a paper bag which you could decorate or write Christmas messages on.

If you need the ingredients for you next planned recipe or just want to stock up on your groceries. Then why not order from Morrisons on Amazon and get them delivered straight to your door. Orders are hand-picked from local stores by dedicated Morrisons staff and delivered to customers by Amazon Flex Delivery Partners.

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Read more: 10 delicious recipes from canned foods

Read more: Vegetarian haggis & whisky sauce

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